


Some Like it Hot

by handsometabbyc



Series: Coffee Lovers [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Domestic, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:47:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handsometabbyc/pseuds/handsometabbyc
Summary: Despite the pandemic business is booming for Loki's new coffee place 'Some Like it hot', but he has other issues, namely his decision to move in with Tony
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Series: Coffee Lovers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1235156
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Some Like it Hot

**Author's Note:**

> ...I don't know if this fic topic is too 'on the nose' but eh... I'd been wanting to do something around these lines ever since this whole ordeal started.

"Look it's gonna be fine, I barely will see him anyway given how he's working from home and I'm at work all day." Loki said over the phone as he leaned against his car, waiting outside Grandroasters to bring over some extra half and half that had been accidently delivered to his own shop. "It just made the most sense, given the state of things."

Granted, to be precise it wasn't solely 'his' given he was co-owner, but aside from the extra name on the deed the coffee shop 'Some Like It Hot' was largely his.

"I know we had a bit of a rough start... one that lasted several years granted, but once you get past the whole sworn rival situation things have been much smoother."

He sighed. "...I know, I miss you too. Tragic we couldn't see you for Christmas, but the way things are going with this new vaccine maybe we'll get a nice summer holiday together." He jested dryly.

Thor lumbered out of the shop then donning a mask, so he said into the phone: 'Hold on Mum', before saying to him: "Took you long enough."

"Don't be smart, lugging dairy isn't in my job description, I was in the middle of something. Is that Mum?"

"No I said 'hold on Mum' just for kicks."

"You again with your smart mouth." He said as he retrieved the crate. "Tell her I said hi, and that I'll call her later?"

"Right." Loki said with a smirk bringing the phone back to his ear. "Thor sends his love, says he'll call later. How's father, still in ship shape?"

He sucked in a shaky breath, willing him to keep it together as she talked. Christ, he should've known better then to take a phone call from his Mum this early. "Well make sure he stays that way, you and him both. Oh..." He laughed. "I'm doing my best too. Alright, love you."

He put his mask on before going inside the shop, saying to Thor: "You know I still don't understand why we hired you."

"Technically it was my idea if you recall," Edwin or 'En' as they called him stated as he sauntered down the stairs from his apartment above the shop. "He's saved us a fortune of contractor fees."

"Maybe, but the fact that he gets a salary regularly somewhat defeats the purpose of that... though I suppose I can't complain with the convenience of not having to wait all day for of someone to come around." 

"Come on, it's not just that..." Thor said good naturedly. "You like having me around permanently, don't you?"

"I don't know, I'm not particularly fond of you telling our mother I'd just moved in with Tony." Loki said pointedly.

"What's the matter with that?" En inquired with more of a peevish fascination then Loki would've preferred. It was one of those moments where he gave off the impression of someone studying a specimen. "...I thought things were alright with you and him."

"They are, I'd just like to have gotten a chance to see how it goes." 

"See? That's why she asks me, because you don't tell her anything." Thor insisted.

"I was going to... I..." He trailed off helplessly. "You know what? I have to go. That perspective Barista is coming in early for a test run."

"Wanda right? She was in here the other day for an interview?" En asked.

"Yes, exactly. She was one of the ones you liked as I recall."

"I did, yes. Which makes me thankful your dealing with the technical nonsense. I can never stomach that sort of thing, half the time I feel like I'm being mean, thank goodness for Topez." En said with dismay. 

Over the last year Loki had quickly learned that Edwin, while enjoying having coffee shops didn't appear to know what he was doing and owed most of his success to managing to find people who did.

"I have a good feeling about Wanda, for one she has previous experience plus she first came in with a wicked winged eyeliner. Not necessarily a job requirement, but it does go with the theme."

"I don't get the appeal of the whole midcentury hollywood a-gogo fru fru rockabilly theme you've got going there, or whatever it is-"

"I think that's a tad of an exaggeration, but you have a good enough grasp on it." Loki said dryly.

"-But I said you could do whatever you wanted and people seem to really go for it so who am I to complain?"

"I'll see you later." He insisted. "Both of you."

"Don't work yourself too ragged brother!" Thor called after him.

When he stepped outside he pulled down his mask again, taking a moment to breath in the cold brisk air before getting into his car to drive to 'Some Like It Hot'. The streets and shop window had been striped of any holiday cheer that had been there only a week before, something that made him feel both sadder and more relieved then usual.

for all intents a purposes he did have to essentially miss Christmas, and not at all like last year where he and Thor just flew home in the next couple of weeks, really miss it. Sometimes he really wished the holidays could've been canceled all together this year given how the usual over commercialized run around just felt... tiresome and taunting.

He supposed it could be worse, at least he had Thor, who Edwin and him made the decision to hire before the shit hit the fan. He could've gone back home but for whatever reason decided to stay here. No doubt something about 'watching out for his little brother'.

And of course there was the boyfriend who he was 'shacking up with.' At least that's what the decision to move in together felt like given how they were still trying to figure out how to be a couple.

He pulled off the street and got out, just as his perspective barista was walking up

"Wanda, hello!" He called out to her. "Looks like you found the place no problem."

"I expect you'd want that in a business, to be findable." She said, before adding: "I have seen it before, granted. It's nice, especially the outdoor patio situation you've got going on."

Loki shot her a grin through his mask. "Right? when me and En were looking for places I insisted on it, was really set on the idea of a nice outdoor European cafe feel. He thought it was unnecessary, that all you needed for a good coffee place is a cozy big room, and that a patio wouldn't even get used for the hotter or colder parts of the year."

"Ate his words on that one." She said, a recognizable tiredness to her tone. "When did you open?"

"Around mid July, back when things where as close to normal as they have been this year."

"Well, I don't know if you'd call it that." She pointed out to Loki's amusement. He had a feeling they were going to get along just fine.

"Wishful thinking anyway. Shall we?" He said, getting out his keys. The inside of the coffee shop was, at En's insistence, a similar set up to Grandroasters. The only real difference was the color scheme: an understated pastel paired with black accents. The current pastel in question they'd settled on was a soft coral, or 'salmon' as En called it.

And of course, the walls displayed some framed classic movie posters, including the one the shared it's namesake with. 'I'm fine with anything but 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' En said vehemently When Loki was discussing it with him. 'The book was racist, the movie was racist and Truman Capote was overrated'

'Duely noted... but what did Capote do to you?' Loki asked, while being in complete agreement a little amused.

'What? N-nothing. It's fine, I just had an ex who was really into the movie and I didn't get it. Great stuff you're doing here, carry on.' He said before hurry off.

Like he'd hoped Wanda caught on fairly quickly and was soon serving customers. Around midday during a lull Loki got a text, glanced at it and made a noise of disgust. "You've to be kidding me."

"What?" Asked Wanda.

"You do not want to know." He murmured briskly as he gave the text a curt answer before slipping the phone back in his pocket. 

"You brought attention to it, you have to tell me." She insisted.

"Relationship bullshit, my mother recently discovered I moved in with a guy I'd been seeing and decided to give him a little call about it."

"You're right, I didn't want to know." she said with a grimace, but after a moment she broke down and asked: "...I take it he wasn't too happy about it?"

"That's an understatement... he's been working from home lately and doesn't like being bothered. Truth be told I think the situation has been making him a little squirrely."

"I'm living with my brother whose in a similar boat, I'd say squirrely is a good description."

Loki chuckled in agreement, just as a new wave of customers came in, so he retreated to the office to deal with some paperwork, but not before making a call.

"Mother, according to Tony you called him. Why would you do that?" He asked in exasperation, massaging his forehead as she talked before replying: "As much as I appreciate you wanting to talk to Tony to put your mind at ease about him, I wish you'd brought it up to me first. How did you even get his number?... of course, Thor, I should've know. Right...alright Mum, I've got to get back to work...love you too."

He ended the call and got back to work, though unfortunately he continued to get texts from Tony, the last of which he replied with: _'If your so concerned about your time being wasted why do you keep texting me?'_

he expected that to be the end of it but Tony promptly replied: _'Because I've been distracted, can't unring that bell'_

 _'wtf do you want me to do about it?'_ Loki asked in frustration, but didn't get a reply. _He probably has a teleconference or something to distract him from his snit,_ Loki reassured himself.

\---

When he went home the house was tidier then usual, which was a concern but he put it in the back of his mind. "Tony? I'm home." He called out, going directly to the kitchen sink to wash his hands before following the sound of scrubbing from the bathroom.

"Knock-knock!" Loki exclaimed as he rapped on the ajar door. Tony looked up from his work with a not so encouraging crazed look in his eyes. "So... how was your day?" He said nervously.

He wordlessly climbed out of the tub, past Loki into the kitchen. _Shit, he really was he mad at him wasn't he? God dammit he was too tired to deal with this..._

When he followed him to the kitchen Tony was in the process of making a pot of coffee. "...Isn't it a bit late for that?"

Tony paused as if he was on auto pilot, but continued. "I'm not talking to you right now." 

"I suspected as much, but can I ask why?" Loki insisted. Apparently he couldn't because Tony stayed true to his word. Deciding to give him space he went to the living room and turned on the tv, absently going through the selections before Tony stormed in.

"You thought this was a bad idea didn't you?" He snapped.

Loki considered making a snark about how he thought he wasn't talking to him, but he thought better of it. "...Excuse me?"

"That's why you didn't tell your mother about us moving in together. That's what Thor said after I talked to your mother. That you wanted to wait a bit before telling your mother we moved in together to see if it would work out."

"You talked to Thor about this before me?" 

"That's besides the point." Tony snapped. "We'd been dating for almost a year, and you're still unsure about it."

"Well for one thing we'd barely saw one another for most of that year because of the pandemic, it was essentially long distance." Loki pointed out. "For another thing, I feel it's notable that a fairly toxic office rivalry preceded that."

"But what if think it's still toxic?" Tony insisted.

"Tony-"

"There's articles all the time about couples that stay in these toxic relationships just because of the pandemic bullshit..." He said franticly, and Loki realized why exactly he was upset

"Tony!" He raised his voice, making the man halt his spiral. "Darling, that not why I'm here. I'm here because I want to be, not because I feel I need to be... not to mention to keep you from going completely nutty." 

Tony snorted. "...Great job on that." He said letting Loki take his hand.

"Eh, I don't think your too far gone." Loki shot him a wink, and Tony sighed, taking a seat on the couch next to him, not letting go of his hand and resting his forehead on his shoulder.

"I did let myself get a bit worked up." He murmured into it, his body against his. It was nice, especially after the long day, and he suspected Tony felt the same

"Christ Tony, why didn't you talk to me, instead of going on about how distracted you were?"

"How the fuck should I know?" Tony said helplessly, pulling away to meet Loki's gaze. "Need I remind you though, you were the one who didn't tell your mother about me moving in in the first place."

"I don't know if you've noticed this about me, but I don't communicate very well. So you really shouldn't take it personally, if I had my way I wouldn't tell anyone about anything."

"You're an enigma then." Tony quipped.

"Indeed, and I would succeed more often if it wasn't for that bouncing golden retriever of a brother." He said with a feigned haughtiness.

"I don't know... either way, maybe we still have some bullshit to work out."

"Maybe that's okay?" Loki offered, reaching up to stroke the short quarantine beard Tony had been trying out, and Tony smiled tiredly.

"Maybe..." He agreed weakly, leaning forward to kiss him, the sensation sending a thrill through him pushing every other concern to the back burner.

"Have uh... have you eaten yet?" Tony asked, but Loki sushed him.

"Please, that can wait," He answered, finding the bottom of Tony's t-shirt, running it over warm skin. Even if they fought a bit Christ it was worth it being able to have skin to skin contact.

"You're god damn right it can..." He agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I could've done another Christmas one where Tony and Loki were moving in together, but as you can guess by how this chapter regards the holidays I really wasn't feeling it.


End file.
